It's just about the most wonderful time of the year

It's an incredibly beautiful today. The snow is perfect for packing into balls to throw (near people, not at people). There's no need to bundle up; there is a certain freedom to a day like today. I'm momentarily ignoring the non-freedom of finals week, enjoying a cup of coffee and a tasty Brueggers Bagel. (EW, where are you? We're at your Caribou!) Talk about a restful day!

The list for next week is not too long, not too daunting, but I might just be too tired. It's good to have days like today to regain strength and energy.

Last night was a Christmas party off campus. We had eggnog and the best homemade samosas ever; caroling and Johnny Cash singing, and a fun gift exchange. It is so good to be with your living cloud of witnesses; saints (and sinners) who are given to you as daily bread--not for eating, but for taking in and being with, laughing, joking, sharing the burden and gift of life as life together.

The end of the semester brings not only rest but a definite revealing of grief. The change is coming soon. We'll be sent somewhere soon. We'll leave this place sometime soon. We'll leave our great cloud sometime soon to find another cloud someplace else. There's no more buffer of another semester. We're down towards the end!

And of course that's awesome and great; I can't wait to be a pastor in a parish serving people and not white pages with black ink.

But for now, it's an incredibly beautiful day. Live it up!